Using wine to cook food has a history of several hundred years in our country. In "Dream of the Red Chamber," it says "Wine cannot counteract the fishy smell, chrysanthemum is needed; to prevent coldness from accumulating, ginger is a must." The first line of this quote mentions the role of "wine" in removing the fishy taste from food during cooking.
The main ingredient of cooking wine is yellow wine, which is brewed from glutinous rice or millet. Since cooking wine is primarily used for cooking, some spices or seasonings are also added during its production, which gives off a unique aroma during the cooking process. The alcohol content of cooking wine is generally around 15%.
In the brewing process of cooking wine, grains are the main ingredient. After fermentation, it is rich in amino acids. When used to cook food, these amino acids generate some amino acid salts. These amino acids, rich in various flavors, can mask some of the original flavors of the ingredients, thus completing the process of removing the fishy taste. Of course, the principle is the same when using other types of alcohol to remove the fishy taste; however, they do not contain spices, and their alcohol content is not as suitable, so the effect is not as good as that of cooking wine.
Although cooking wine contains a variety of amino acids, the amount used is very small, so it cannot serve as a nutritional supplement. However, the production of cooking wine is relatively natural, so everyone can use it with confidence.